I’ve learnt not to be arrogant, says Shekhar Kapur

Film-maker Shekhar Kapur’s short films with Swami Jaggi Vasudev see him embark on a new course in his public life — spirituality.

How did your quest for spirituality begin?
It began when I was a 12-year-old and was learning physics in school which was based on the premise that nothing exists unless it can be measured. At night I would sleep on the terrace under the stars with the universe above me. My father told me that the universe was infinite and when I tried to imagine it in terms of physical measurement, I was in tears.  So at 12 I was dealing with the idea of multiple universes. I always yearned to come to terms with this duality — something that is universal and yet finite.

When did the relationship with Swami Jaggi Vasudev come about?
It evolved over a period of time. I was close to Deepak Chopra and first met the Swami at one of Chopra’s seminars in Puerto Rico about seven years ago. 

We lost touch and then met, lost touch again and met again. I saw in the Swami a vulnerable aspect that provoked the vulnerability in me — it was a wonderful space that permitted me to drop my defenses.

What are the highlights of the four short films you’ve made on him?
The major highlight was to be able to sit with him and get him to answer all my questions.  No one else seems to be able to do that.

Do you think your tryst with spirituality has helped you evolve in any major way as a person?
While I still haven’t experienced eternity as yet, it has helped me with the biggest battle in a person’s life — that which he or she fights with their ego. I’ve learnt not to be arrogant and a journey towards humility has begun. I feel while one should by no means beat oneself up for
aspiring for a better material life or for being acquisitive, one may understand over a period of time that they’re not an end in themselves.